


Jack You Up

by Baby_Buu



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Human AU, M/M, Prison, Prison AU, kakavege, tumblr: kakavegeweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-09-30 17:37:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20450972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baby_Buu/pseuds/Baby_Buu
Summary: For Kakavege Week 2019 Sept 1. Prompts: Prison AU - Arm Wrestling - Missing You - Wet T-Shirt Contest.Vegeta is an all business Prison Warden. He runs a tight ship and allows no bullshit.Too bad that all goes to shit the moment a certain new prisoner arrives.





	Jack You Up

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Kakavege Week!

Vegeta walked through the crowd seemingly unnoticed. Whatever was happening in the middle sure had the men excited. He frowned to himself. ‘How good of a job can I be doing if there was such a commotion and no one was backing away from me in fear? Why aren’t there any guards?’ His scowl only deepened as he finally found the cause of the chaos. He wasn’t sure what he had expected but it certainly wasn’t this.

He saw an inmate with his jumper tied around his waist, wild hair and bulging muscles arm wrestling with another prisoner who was easily twice his size. He seemed to be almost bored as he held their arms in place while the larger of the two was sweating and obviously struggling. 

‘What the? How does he?’ Vegeta’s thoughts were interrupted by a thunderous roar. He looked back over to the table, and saw a huge grin on the smaller man’s face, then his eyes moved down to the other man’s hand down on the table.

He raised an eyebrow at the sight. 

A small bald man ran up to him and clasped both his shoulders!

“All right Goku!”

The other participant got up and rubbed his bicep as he walked away. Vegeta looked closer and realized who he was. ‘No way that scrawny guy is stronger!’

“Any of you stupid enough to up against my boy here?” The bald man beamed.

Vegeta stepped forward. “I’ll give it a go.”

Every head in the room whipped over to look at him, finally noticing his presence. A hush fell over the room. 

The short bald one’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Warden, I Uh... we didn’t realize...” he trailed off.

“I noticed.” Vegeta took off his jacket and sat it on the far side of the table. He rolled up his sleeve and settled down across from the strange man. Besides his wild hair that stood up in random tuffs, he was well built and had an oddly soft and enthusiastic look on his face. It was baffling. 

Vegeta put his arm down on the table and looked at the other man expectantly. He grinned and placed his hand over Vegeta’s. Vegeta frowned slightly and the size difference of their two hands but soon had to focus as his friend yelled for them to start.

The resistance he felt was astonishing. The grip on his hand was unreal. Vegeta knew he was strong, he didn’t work out every day relentlessly for nothing after all. But this man was giving him a run for his money. How was he so strong?

No one made any noise. After struggling a bit Vegeta felt the other man give. He smirked as he pushed their hands all the way down. He was declared the winner.

“Alright all of you get back to cells, your hour is up!” There were plenty of groans but no real arguments. Vegeta watched the men as they walked back to the cells until they were out of sight.

Once gone Vegeta’s eyes narrowed. The man had let him win. But why? Just to save face? And just how strong was he?

This ‘Goku’ was certainly one to watch out for.

“Nappa I need information on a newer inmate.”

Nappa surprised at the sudden intrusion let out a startled cry and dropped the sandwich he was eating. Vegeta glared and tapped his feet impatiently waiting for him to recover. 

Nappa was the longest employed prison guard. He had been there to show Vegeta the ropes when he was a rookie. He worked hard and eventually became the warden of North City’s Prison. He looked up to Nappa as a sort of father figure. But that didn’t mean he never tried Vegeta’s patience.

Once recovered Nappa stood up. “Who would that be Vegeta?”

“One of the newer ones. I believe someone called him Goku.”

“Alright let me check.” Nappa left and Vegeta decided to work on some paper work while he waited. He went to his office.

Nappa found him a little while later.

“I’m sorry sir, I couldn’t find any Goku in our records, I tried everything.”

“Hmm it must be a nickname or alias. I’ll have to look into it.”

“Can I ask why the interest?”

“He staged an arm wrestling contest in the middle of the cafeteria and beat Piccolo with out breaking a sweat.”

“No way, are you serious?”

“Yes. Then I went against him and he let me win. I have no idea how strong and powerful he is, but I plan to find out.”

“Wow.” Nappa was rubbing his head, obvious stunned.

The next day Vegeta decided it was a good time to check on how things were going. Normally he spent most the time in his office not in the actual prison. The only reason he had been there yesterday was the commotion was so loud he could here it from his office.

His approach to management was to intimidate his underlings to doing their jobs well enough that he didn’t need to interfere with trivial tasks. But the incident yesterday didn’t sit well with him. None of the prisoners had paid him any mind at first. His mere presence needed to strike fear into them! 

He hid his satisfaction of the guards he approached straightened up. He addressed the first one. 

“You there, who was supposed to be on duty to watch over the prisoners during their free hour yesterday?”

The guard looked nervous.

“That would be Appule sir.”

“Thank you.” Vegeta replied gruffly before immediately moving on. He heard a sigh of relief right before he moved out of ear shot. ‘At least someone finds me scary.’

Vegeta walked through the cells trying to look indifferent and casual. He passed by the worst of the worst criminals doing his best to look tougher and meaner than them. He kept going checking all the floors. He was beyond annoyed at how long it was taking until he got to the last cell.

He was surprised to see the man he had been looking for was lying on his bed with his legs up against the wall and his head hanging off the side. The strangest part was the giant grin on his face. It looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. It was so out of place and unlike anything Vegeta had ever seen within these walls that the other man opened his eyes sensing his presence to see an open mouthed Vegeta just standing there staring. 

The sly smile he received pulled him out of stupor. “Hello Warden!” He was greeted warmly like they were old friends as the man in the cell moved to sit up normally.

Vegeta’s eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms. He gave the best glare he could that would cause a lesser man to wet himself if it had been directed at him. 

“What’s your name?” He all but growled out. He was confused by his behavior but also very displeased. No one talked to him this way, not even on the outside. It was jarring. He tried to be more on guard.

“It’s Goku.”

“No it’s not, what’s your real name?” Vegeta demanded. Goku looked confused.

“Oh you must mean my legal name. It’s Kakarot. But everyone calls me Goku.”

“Well Kakarot,” He sneered sarcastically, “you must be new here. I don’t want any more incidents like the one from yesterday. I run a tight ship here and don’t want any trouble here in my prison.”

“Sure thing warden.” Goku said playfully, and then the bastard winked at him.

Vegeta had to leave quickly, having lost all composure and couldn’t think of a single way to respond. He walked back to his office in a daze and didn’t remember the trip once he got there. 

Nappa walked in to see him rubbing his temples. He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“Get me everything you can on Kakarot.”

Nappa nodded wordlessly and turned to leave. 

“One more thing Nappa.” His voice came out dangerously low and quiet. “Send Appule to me immediately.”

“Of course.”

Nappa left quickly. Vegeta went back to trying to fend off the large migraine he was getting. 

————————————————

Goku took a break from mopping, sighing while wiping the sweat from his forehead. This was the 5th day in a row he was assigned to kitchen bitch. He heard from Krillin you’re only supposed to have kitchen duty, or kitchen bitch as it was lovingly referred to as, once a month. It was everyone else’s least favorite chore. It wouldn’t be so bad for Goku, but all the people working in the cafeteria weren’t much for chit chat so he was left to entertain himself.

The one good thing about it was the obvious reasons behind all the extra work he had been assigned to. It started the day after the Warden came to see him.

The Warden fascinated Goku. He was short but intimidating. He obviously worked hard to maintain his threatening demeanor but Goku had seen passed all that instantly. There was more to him than meets the eye and Goku wanted to get to know him more. And that hair! ‘Does he use like a million gallons of gel or what?’

He hadn’t been in the big house long, but he was already bored. Goku liked to wonder and explore. He missed being free to travel around outdoors to his heart’s content. 

But something about getting under this other man’s skin was exhilarating. Something to look forward to. So he would take whatever the Warden gave him with a smile on his face. Goku wasn’t sadistic in nature but he found it easy to take pleasure in the fact that his natural personality seemed to bother a stranger so much. 

He walked back to his cell whistling with a skip in his step. He ignored the strange looks he got from the guards.

He was both surprised and not when he was called to see the Warden. He was escorted by Nappa, easily the biggest and toughest jail guard. He tried to strike up a conversation but every attempt at small talk was shut down quickly. 

He was cuffed to the table and Nappa left wordlessly. There wasn’t a clock in the room so he didn’t know how long he waited. It felt like a good while though. Goku did his best to entertain himself. When the Warden arrived he couldn’t help the warm smile that overtook his face. He could tell right way that the positive greeting he received annoyed him.

Goku smirked wider. “Good morning Warden.” He nodded in a greeting.

“It’s afternoon now.” Goku relished in the tone he received. ‘It was morning when I was put in here.’ Goku’s skin tingled in response to the sneer he was receiving. He especially enjoyed the way the Warden’s little cute nose turned up at him.

“What can I do for you sir?” Goku asked chiperly. 

“I wanted to run something by you.”

Goku nodded again in obvious interest. 

“I’m thinking of applying this prison for a service dog training program and would like to use you as a test subject.

Goku’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“I could get a dog?” Goku asked excitedly. 

“Potentially. I have a few questions for you first.”

“Okay Warden, ask away!”

Goku was giddy and couldn’t help bouncing in his seat a little. ‘A dog! I knew prison wouldn’t be so bad!’

“How long have you been here for?”

“Almost two weeks.”

“Hmm okay that’s not very long. Alright what are you in here for?”

Goku stopped bouncing and squirmed a little from the question.

“Well uh...”

“Spit it out.”

“Murder.” Goku hung his head a little at the tsk tsk noise the Warden made at him.

“Well I’m not sure they would approve a murderer for this task. I’m sorry if I got your hopes up.” Goku didn’t miss the glint of sadistic glee in Vegeta’s eyes. 

“You had me in mind for the program but didn’t look into my file first?” Goku asked incredulously. He allowed himself to frown. 

“Nope I just assumed someone like you was in for a much lesser crime. Mail fraud perhaps?” Vegeta sneered then smiled enough to show his teeth.

Goku didn’t believe it for one minute, but he wanted to continue to play the game. He pouted. 

“I am here for murder it’s true. But I’m innocent. I didn’t kill anyone.”

“If I had a dime for every time I heard that one...” Vegeta chuckled. 

“Well it’s true in my case. I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“I’m sure.”

“It’s not so bad here though!” Goku beamed. “I got a roof over my head and three meals a day.”

“Hnnn.”

He left the room with out another word. Goku sat and waited patiently for Nappa to escort him back to his cell.

After that Goku was obsessed. He tried to get as much information about the Warden as possible. He traded cigarettes in the yard with some of the veterans. He pestered one of the newer guards. He grilled Krillin who steered him in the direction of an inmate who had been there awhile.

Goku threw two packs of cigarettes on the table. The man with multiple scars on his face swiped them before looking up. 

“What can I help you with?”

“I need information on the Warden.”

Yamcha smiled at him. 

Goku lay down on his bed that evening and smiled. Finally he felt like he had a good picture of who he was. How he had worked his way from the bottom. How he ran a tight ship and supervised with an iron fist. Also he finally had his name. 

Vegeta.

————————————————

Vegeta sipped his coffee from the thermos he brought. It was entirely too early. He was tired and groggy. He finished his coffee and tried to shake himself more awake. He got out of his car and went to find Nappa.

“Good morning sir.”

Vegeta growled in response.

Nappa walked with him, giving him a status report. Vegeta looked around and noted how miserable everyone looked. ‘Well litter duty isn’t exactly a glamorous job.’ He looked further down the road at flurry of movement. He focused and soon realized what he was seeing. ‘Scratch that, almost everyone looks miserable.’

Kakarot was stretching enthusiastically. The large child like grin pissed Vegeta off at the best of times. He turned to Nappa who had been trying to get his attention for a few minutes.

“What is it Nappa?”

“I’m just surprised to see you out here is all. You don’t normally bother yourself with the more tedious tasks.”

Vegeta crossed his arms. “It’s exactly talk like that is why I’m here. Everyone has gotten too lax. The incident with Apulle will not be ignored.”

“Ah. Okay then.”

Nappa left him to go check in with the other guards. Vegeta turned his attention back to Goku. He watched as he laughed and smiled while picking up garbage. ‘This man is truly a conundrum.’ He shook his head and tried to not make it obvious he only came to watch one man. He made rounds but kept tabs of Goku in his peripheral vision at all times. 

When the sun was high enough in the sky to cause him to sweat, he decided to call it a day. A movement caught his eye and his throat became dry, but it had nothing to do with the overbearing heat. 

Goku had opened his jumpsuit and tied the arms around his waist, but today he was missing an undershirt. Vegeta watched as his muscles glistened and rippled while he worked. And there were a lot of muscles. Vegeta stared, enthralled.

Vegeta unconsciously walked toward him. He was interrupted by Krillin who was furiously trying to pick up a bag of garbage he accidentally dropped. “Watch yourself baldy!”

Krillin looked like he jumped out of his skin he was so scared. “Y-y-Yes sir.” He stuttered out and immediately went back to work. Vegeta smirked. He finally made it over to Goku who was humming while he worked. Vegeta swallowed hard at the sight.

“Kakarot, this is supposed to a punishment. Quit dancing and singing for Christ’s sake.” He tried to sound threatening, but wasn’t sure how successful he was since he was meet with a sly grin.

“Sorry about that. I just like being outside, it’s hard to stifle my happiness.” He did a little dance. Vegeta’s eyes narrowed. He resisted the urge to loosen his collar. 

“That sort of insubordination will not be tolerated. Disobey a direct order from me again and I’ll have you in solitude faster than you can say ‘yes sir’ do you hear me?”

He turned on his heels trying to get as far away as possible quickly. His cheeks were red and he didn’t want anyone to see. 

“Sure thing Vegeta!”

He stopped dead in his tracks. ‘That mother fucker!’ Vegeta couldn’t turn around or his embarrassment would be evident. He decided just this once to let it go. He got back in his car, turned it on and headed back to the prison. He pointedly looked straight forward the whole time as he left.

Vegeta tossed and turned all night. Every time he closed his eyes he was assaulted with Goku’s half naked body. He refused to believe it. He was not attracted to one of his inmates. He just couldn’t be. He went to get a drink of water. He walked through his spotless house to the kitchen. It was bare, no decorations or fan fare. Minimal house hold items, only what was necessary, and always kept put away. Nothing left on the counters. He liked his life as organized, neat, and tidy as possible. 

He sighed after having a glass of water and returned to his bed. ‘This is going to be a long night.’

Vegeta didn’t know how or why, but he always managed to find himself spending more and more time around Goku. One day he even opted to do roll call himself, shocking everyone. The guards gave him so much pushback that he ended up screaming at them. 

“I didn’t realize you were in charge here. Oh wait, you’re not. Now get out of here and find something better to do than waste my time before you’re no longer employed here!”

He got mostly negative response from everyone as he called their names and went down the line. Except for Goku. He gave Vegeta a chuckle and a smile as he was called last. Vegeta hated that chuckle, and yet...

He patrolled the yard, he checked on the cafeteria before going home, he conducted random searches in cells, all things he used to feel like he was above. He used the flimsy excuse of ‘talk’ of him going soft but he knew better. 

He used any opportunity to speak with Goku. What started as irritation and distain morphed slowly into a sort of appreciation. At first he had wanted to break the other man and finally taint his seemingly perpetual happiness, but now he was fascinated by it and wanted to watch it continue to grow. 

One day while walking the yard he pulled him aside. He had been conversing with one of the worst and scariest convicts like they were old friends. 

“Kakarot if you really are innocent like you claim, how can you get along so well with this rotten lot?” He gestured back towards the burly man he had just been talking to.

“Ah shoot, they’re not so bad.” He scratched the tip of his nose. “Some of them are actually pretty nice when you get to know them.”

Vegeta doubted that. He knew from experience Tien in particular was quite the bastard.

“Are you saying you still don’t believe my innocence after all this time Vegeta?” Goku pouted but Vegeta was sure all his pouts were fake. ‘He’s always trying to get under my skin.’ Vegeta still refused to acknowledge that he already was.

“I believe in our judicial system, if you were convicted and found guilty, that means your guilty.”

He walked away, but caught the further pout that the other man put on before sticking his tongue out.

Months passed and he found an excuse to see Goku everyday. Sometimes even on his days off he would come up with a reason to pop his head in. 

He kept using the excuse that it was to make sure everyone was doing their jobs right, but after the first week of him being more hands on all of his employees were twice as terrified of him. There hadn’t been a single incident since he fired Apulle. He supposed it was only a matter of time.

“I’m just saying sir that people are talking.” Nappa was nervously twirling a pen while trying to say his peace while hopefully keeping his head intact. 

“Oh, and what are they saying?”

“That you have a soft spot for a certain inmate.”

Vegeta growled. Nappa put his hands up in defense. 

“I’m not saying that it’s true, just that there is talk. You wouldn’t want this to get too far up the grapevine. It would be a shame if it got all the way up to Frieza.”

“Shit.” Vegeta muttered under his breath. He didn’t know he was being so obvious. He would die of mortification if this got out. 

“It’s no one’s business. I run this prison perfectly.”

“I agree whole heartedly sir. It’s just...”

“What is it Nappa?”

“You let him call you by your name.”

Vegeta was speechless. At no point had he ever chastised him for that. After awhile he got used to it. He actually like me the way Goku used his name. Like it was a shared secret between the both of them. 

“I just know how hard you’ve worked on your reputation sir. I thought you wouldn’t want it ruined over something so ridiculous.”

Vegeta nodded.

“Perhaps I have been too friendly with him. I will rectify this immediately.”

Nappa nodded.

————————————————

Goku frowned. It had been a few days since he saw Vegeta. He was used to his presence, and really enjoyed his company. He was different than anyone else he had ever met. He was interesting, and never reacted how he expected him to. He kept Goku on his toes. Goku enjoyed their little ‘game’. 

But now Vegeta seemed to not want to play anymore.

Goku sighed and went back to doing push ups. He wasn’t assigned extra chores anymore and was not used to all the extra time on his hands. He decided to work out to stay busy. 

Days turned into weeks and not a peep from Vegeta. He asked a guard who had friendly towards him before about it.

“The Warden? He usually has a hands off approach toward management. I heard he was pissed that some guards on duty were bribed to leave you guys completely unsupervised one time and wanted to put the fear of god into us so it wouldn’t happen again.” Goku chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. He had done that...

The guard seemed to scrutinize him. 

“Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” Goku smiled at him innocently. 

Goku thought over it again. If that were true why did it seem like Vegeta used that as an excuse to see him? Goku wanted that to be true but wasn’t sure why the cold shoulder now?

Worse than the radio silence from Vegeta was a new convict. Goku was a positive person who tried to see the good in everyone and all situations but this guy was trying his patience. 

For starters, he looked a lot like Goku. They could be brothers. He was darker skinned than Goku, but that was about it. He seemed to be older, but had a youthful appearance. 

Looks were all they had in common though. Turles was cruel and mean spirited. He started fights and often put someone in the hospital. He talked about women in a way that made Goku’s skin crawl. He could not stand to be near him.

One day during dinner he caught part of the conversation Turles was having. He was bragging about how many people he killed before he got caught. That alone made Goku’s stomach curl. But what really bothered him was how eerily familiar the story was.

“Then I said ‘yo man give me your wallet!’ And he was sputtering and crying. So I slammed my knife into his gut. I grabbed his wallet and ran off. It was right in the middle of the street! It’s so crazy what you can get away with.”

Goku stopped seeing the cafeteria in front of him and was pulled back to a dingy street. It was dusk and he was lost. He wondered aimlessly not minding that he didn’t know where he was in the slightest. 

He heard a cry. He looked around but it sounded far away. “Yo old man give me your wallet, unless you wanna die?” Whoever it was sounded unhinged. Goku ran toward the voice. He heard a male voice muffled but he sounded scared. 

“Take it, please don’t hurt me!”

He heard a laugh and a painful cry. He ran faster. 

When he finally got there he saw an old man laying on the ground with a knife sticking out of his stomach. There was blood everywhere. He tried to help but the man saw him and began desperately trying to get away. 

“Somebody help!” Goku yelled as loudly as he could. He had blood all over his hands and shirt. He knew not to pull the knife out, but wasn’t sure how to help. He watched helplessly as the life of the stranger slipped away. He heard the sirens long before they got to him. He tried to explain what happened he was cuffed and shoved into the back of a police car. He spent the night in a holding cell. 

Goku was pulled back into the present by a loud commotion. Turles had started another fight and it had moved close to him. He tried to move out of the way but was knocked down. He cried out as he landed on his arm wrong. He crawled under the table and waited for the commotion to calm down. Turles was finally restrained and hopefully going back to solitary. Goku grimaced as he got up. He was spotted by Nappa. 

Nappa looked down at him. 

“Do you need to see the nurse?”

“The nurse and my lawyer.”

Nappa raised his eye brow at this.

Goku didn’t sleep very well. He kept having dreams about the trial.

“Eyewitness...”

“Cold blooded murderer....”

“Twenty five to life...”

“Guilty!”

He woke up suddenly in a cold sweat. 

“Kakarot wake up!”

‘That voice?’ He turned to see Vegeta in the cell with him. He looked around confused.

“Vegeta wha?”

Vegeta chuckled darkly. 

“Good you’re awake. I want to escort you to your lawyer. I’m interested in why you want to see them all the sudden.” He cocked his head to the side. Goku laughed. He had missed the other man greatly. 

“That’s easy Vegeta. I finally found a way to prove my innocence.”

Vegeta blinked at him him, too stunned to speak. Goku got up and adjusted his arm sling. He had sprained his arm when he fell the day before. 

“Thanks for escorting me Vegeta. You didn’t have to do that.” Goku used his good arm to rub the back of his neck.

Vegeta crossed his arms. “Yeah well from what I’ve heard you’ve got going on, it’s going to be a shit show and I want to be as up to date on what’s happening as possible. I don’t want anything coming back to my prison.”

Goku nodded enthusiastically. “Of course.”

Vegeta frowned. “Come on let’s get going.”

They waited in the visiting area for Goku’s lawyer to arrive. Goku noticed Nappa in the corner who would turn and give them a weird look every once in a while. It took Goku awhile to realize Vegeta had forgotten to cuff him. 

“Psst.”

Vegeta looked over. Goku kept looking down at his good hand and then back to Vegeta. Vegeta raised his eye brow. Goku looked more pointedly at his hand and made a small jazz hand like gesture. 

Vegeta blushed and Goku felt like his heart stopped beating for a second. He slowly pulled out hand cuffs from his belt. Goku places his good arm out so Vegeta could cuff him to the table. 

Still blushing, Vegeta whispered horsely, “That other arm better damn hurt.”

Goku smiled wide, showing teeth. “Yeah Vegeta, it hurts real bad.” Goku breathed out. 

Vegeta blushed harder and turned his head away. Goku wanted to laugh but was interrupted by his lawyer finally arriving. 

He was a short, heavier man with long greasy hair. 

“Thanks for coming Mr. Yajirobe!”

“Yeah yeah, this better be important Goku. I have other clients you know?” 

“Hehe I know. Listen, remember how I told you I didn’t do it? And no one would listen to me?”

“Yeah that’s because they found you literally red handed and they had an eye witness who identified you.”

“Well the whole process is really a blur to me now. But get this. There is a guy here who looks just like me who was telling a story of how he killed this old guy in the middle of the street. He stabbed him with a knife and took off.”

Yajirobe was speechless. Goku did a side glance at Vegeta and saw he had his eyes narrowed. 

“Turles?” He asked Goku. Goku nodded. 

“I bet if anyone looked into for two seconds they would see it was him and not me.”

Yajirobe jumped up, causing his briefcase to open and spill out. 

“Oh jeez.” Goku muttered under his breath. 

“Don’t worry Goku, I’ll get on this right away!” Yajirobe left. 

Goku looked back over at Vegeta.

“You really didn’t do it?” Vegeta asked, sounding anxious.

“I really didn’t do it.” Goku smiled. 

“Alright. I’ll look into it as well, your lawyer doesn’t seem like the greatest.”

Goku shrugged.

“I couldn’t afford one so I got one of those court ordered ones. He was nice enough. It wasn’t his fault the odds were so stacked against me.”

“Tsk. Whatever, let’s get you back to your cell.”

He unhandcuffed him. Goku said nothing as they walked back to his cell in comfortable silence. Not even to mention that he forgot to cuff once more. 

————————————————

Vegeta scoffed at Goku. He had been struggling with his tie for fifteen minutes now. 

“Here let me help you clown.” Vegeta tried to sound disapproving but received a giant grin in response. 

“Thanks Vegeta!” Goku beamed and looked down down at Vegeta. The closeness as he tied the tie perfectly didn’t seem to bother the other man but Vegeta had to fight back a blush. He could feel the heat radiating off of Goku and he couldn’t help but admit to himself that it felt nice. Goku was like his own personal sun. His warm attitude and body temperature combined. Vegeta was gonna miss him. 

He stepped back and admired his handy work. Goku gave him a knowing look which he ignored.

“Alright Kakarot are you ready?”

“Yeah. Thanks again for all your help.”

Vegeta nodded. ‘Hopefully Kakarot never learns how much effort I put into helping him.’ Vegeta had called in multiple favors to make sure Goku had his day in court again. Not to mention what they had to do to Turles....

Vegeta thought back to that day weeks ago. He had been doing his best to ignore Goku completely. It was strangely difficult. When Nappa barged into his office hoping to catch him before he left. 

“What the hell Nappa!”

“Vegeta I have some crazy news!”

And just like that all plans to ignore him were forgotten.

Vegeta shook himself out of his thoughts.

“Then lets go.” Vegeta grunted out.

Vegeta sat in the audience. He wasn’t officially part of this case. He mostly watched Goku to make sure he was on his best behavior. 

The judge was an old friend, and it was one of the favors he had to call in. Judge Yemma was firm but fair. When Vegeta came to him with Goku’s case he was intrigued. Turns out Goku was right. Only a little bit of extra detective work was needed to show Turles was the guilty one. 

“Well with the new evidence that has come into light, a retract from the eye witness and a confession from someone else - I see no reason not to appeal your guilty verdict! He slammed his gavel. 

Goku jumped up and down with excitement.

“Alright calm down.” The judge smiled. “For being falsely accused and imprisoned, the courts will award you One Million Zeni.” Vegeta was surprised. He looked from Yenma to Goku who looked shocked beyond belief. 

“Wow sir, thank you!”

Judge Yemma nodded. “Court is adjourned.” 

Vegeta’s lips curled up in a tiny smile. ‘He actually did it.’

Vegeta was shocked when he felt a large hand on his shoulder. Vegeta looked up.

“Hey Vegeta!” Goku cried out excitedly. “Did you hear that?”

“Yes Kakarot. They over turned your verdict and gave you a handsome some of compensation. You did very well.”

Goku rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah well I think that might have something to do with you Warden.” He said his title with a sarcastic tone.”

‘Shit, how much does he know!’

“Not really. I just made sure your lawyer did his job.”

“Mmmmhhhhhmmmmm.” Goku didn’t sound like he believed him.

“Just how did you get Turles to confess?”

“Oh him? He did so willingly. He cooperated fully and was glad to do so.”

“Oh is that so.”

“Yes.”

Goku looked like he wanted to say more but didn’t. 

“I suppose this is goodbye Kakarot.”

“I guess it is. I have no desire to end up back in your prison.” Goku grinned.

Vegeta let himself smile. He watched as Goku left the courtroom. He felt a strange weight on his chest as he realized he would never see him again. Before he realized what he was doing he ran after him. 

“Kakarot wait.” 

Goku turned around immediately.

“Yes Vegeta?”

“Did you need a ride?”

Goku scratched his nose.

“Actually I wouldn’t mind some food? It’ll be a little while before I see some of that money and prison food really didn’t do it for me. I’d like a real meal.” He said sheepishly.

“Oh.” Vegeta was surprised at the request. ‘Of course he wants some non prison food. I probably shouldn’t...’

“Sure Kakarot. Follow me.”

They left the Appeals Court and Vegeta drove them both to a local diner. He never ate there himself but figured that is what Goku would be used to. His suspicions were confirmed when he parked. “Oh man this place is great!” Goku called out excitedly.

They sat down opposite each other in a booth. 

“Have whatever you want Kakarot. You’re a free man now.”

“Wow Vegeta , thanks a lot!”

Goku ordered so much when their waiter came that Vegata and the man both raised their eyebrows. 

“You weren’t kidding were you?”

“I told you I was hungry!”

“So Kakarot, where will you go after this?”

“I’m not really sure. I was kind of wandering when I was arrested.”

“You don’t have a home?”

“Not really.”

“Family? Friends?”

“No family. I’ve been in my own for awhile now. I don’t really have any friends either. At least none that can house me.”

Goku shrugged.

Vegeta didn’t know what to say.

Luckily Goku’s food came and the conversation stopped. Vegeta was torn. ‘It’s none of my business. He’s not my concern. He’s a grown man he can take care of himself.’

Vegeta watched Goku eat every bite of his large meal in mild amusement. ‘Where does he put it all?’

When the meal was finished Goku patted his belly. 

“Mmm that sure was a delicious meal.”

He held out his hand for Vegeta to shake. Vegeta stared at it for several seconds before taking it. Goku’s grip was firm but his hands were surprisingly softer than he imagined. Being in prison really hadn’t effected him that much at all. 

Goku took his hand back and stood to leave. “Alright Vegeta. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

Vegeta’s throat went dry. 

“Kakarot hold on.” 

Vegeta paid the bill in a flurry and ran outside. Goku was waiting for him, staring up at the sky, with his hands in his pockets.

‘God, why can’t I just let him leave?’

“Kakarot.” Vegeta said apprehensively.

Goku looked down at him. Vegeta gulped. 

“It’s going to take awhile for your money to be available to you. Why don’t you stay with me for a few days until everything is settled. I have a guest room you could stay in.”

“Wow Vegeta, I don’t want to cause any trouble for you.”

‘Take the out. Take the out.’

“It’s no trouble at all.”

“Okay I mean sure!” Goku smiled.

“Here let’s go get you some clothes. I definitely don’t have anything you can borrow.” Vegeta spit out sourly.

Goku smiled wider.

“Oh and you’re paying me back for everything when your settlement comes in.”

“Yes sir.” Goku mock saluted. 

Vegeta already knew he was going to end up regretting everything.

————————————————

Goku sighed and tried to find a comfortable spot on the bed. He missed Vegeta when he was at work. He was bored, and even though he was free to leave whenever he liked he didn’t have anywhere to go or anything to do. 

He had tried to keep himself busy but Vegeta didn’t really have anything. No books, no games, no movies. He didn’t even have a tv! He did however have a small home gym so Goku had been working out a lot the last two days. ‘It’s really not all that different than jail.’ Goku grumbled to himself. 

He got up after an hour of not being able to nap. He went to make himself a snack. ‘At least Vegeta got me plenty of food.’ Goku smiled at that. 

The first night had been pretty awkward. They didn’t know each other that well. Also Goku felt like he took up a lot more space than Vegeta had been expecting and always seemed to be in the way. The next day was a little better. Vegeta had taken him shopping and seemed to disapprove of every purchase he made.

He looked over at the black and orange jacket.

“Really Kakarot? Didn’t you get enough of that color while incarcerated?”

Goku smiled.

“Nah, I think it looks good on me.”

“Bah.”

Vegeta seemed more easily flustered around him and he wasn’t sure why. Goku had come out the first morning in nothing more than his boxers and Vegeta about had a fit demanding he go put some clothes on. Goku shrugged and turned around. He had been trouncing around in much less in front of a lot more for the past several months and didn’t think about it anymore. 

Goku finished making himself a sandwich and decided to leave out the stuff for it in case he was still hungry. He sat down on the coach to eat it. Afterward he found he was finally tired enough to nap after all. 

He woke up to Vegeta setting his keys down. He wiped the drool from his face and stretched out his back. He could hear Vegeta grumbling the whole time. He caught tid bits. 

“...mess...leaving food out...moron...”

Goku smiled. Vegeta was too uptight.

“Hey Vegeta, sorry about the mess. I fell asleep.” He heard a grunt in response from his bedroom. 

Goku went and cleaned up his mess from earlier. He decided to shower while waiting for Vegeta to calm down a little from just getting home from work. 

‘He only has to put up with me for a few more days. Then I’m outta here.’

Goku turned on the shower, placing it toward the hottest setting. He noticed the shower head had a little stream coming out where it shouldn’t. He tried to turn it to tighten it but it came off entirely. Without thinking he tried to put it back on with the water still running and it sprayed out everywhere. It soaked all down the front of the white tank top and sweats he was wearing. He sputtered and tried to finish putting the shower head back in. Finally he gave up, and turned the water off. Then he put the shower head back on quickly. He stared down at himself and the floor. He was soaked and there was water everywhere.

He opened the door.

“Uh Vegeta?” He called shakily.

“What Kakarot?” Was the gruff reply he received. 

“Could you... could you help me in here?”

He didn’t get a response, but after a few minutes Vegeta tapped on the door before opening it. He looked at Goku and then the floor. He began to laugh, throwing his head back. Normally Goku would have been fascinated by this but he was drenched and feeling more embarrassed than usual. Vegeta stopped laughing and surveyed the room again. He looked Goku up and down. Goku blushed as he felt like he was being judged in a wet T-shirt contest. 

Vegeta left with out a word, coming back quickly with a few towels. Goku quickly dried himself and then the floor. He went back to his room and changed opting not to shower after all. 

He sat on the edge of the bed freshly dressed and lost in thought. ‘Why was I embarrassed? And why was Vegeta looking at me like that?’

He jumped at the sound of a knock on his door. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Be out in a sec!” Goku shook his head and did his best to forget all these strange thoughts. It wasn’t like him to dwell.

He sat down at the table, eyes wide and mesmerized. Vegeta had made them quite the feast. Steak, potatoes, some salad, asparagus, and some rolls.

Goku sighed happily as he made his plate. Vegeta set down two wine glasses and poured them each a cup. Goku relaxed fully as he ate. He was completely comfortable in Vegeta’s company again. Every time he finished his glass of wine Vegeta refilled it. Goku ate several platefuls before he became full.

“Kakarot.”

“Hmm?”

“When we met, did you let me win our arm wrestling match?”

“Hehe yeah, sorry about that. I heard Krillin call you the Warden and I was worried you’d transfer me to death row if I beat you in front of everyone.” Goku blushed.

“So you think I couldn’t have won on my own?”

“I don’t know Vegeta. I’m pretty strong.”

“Well how about a rematch, right here and now?”

Goku felt his face heat up. He knew he was probably drunk but he hoped he could retain enough control over his body to win. Vegeta cleared a space and moved closer. 

They grasped hands. Vegeta shook them to make sure he had a firm grip. “Alright, go.”

Goku gritted his teeth. Vegeta was strong. He looked down to see Vegeta’s bicep straining. He looked up at his face. He was squinting from concentration. His mouth in a snarl. Goku tried harder. He really wanted to win. Finally he felt Vegeta’s arm give and he moved him about an inch before Vegeta got control again. Goku looked back at Vegeta’s face. They made eye contact. Goku couldn’t read what he saw in Vegeta’s eyes. Determination to win, but something else. 

He felt the grip on his hand loosen slightly, and they both seemed to lean into each other simultaneously. Goku didn’t know what was happening but his eyes closed on their own accord and their lips met gently. He heard Vegeta sigh and opened his eyes. They had let go of each other’s hand at some point. Vegeta had a slight blush on his face. ‘He’s beautiful.’ Goku was startled by his own thought. 

It all made sense to him then. He grabbed Vegeta’s face and kissed him again, not so gently this time. Vegeta moaned into his mouth. He pulled back.

“Vegeta, wow, I...”

“Kakarot,” Vegeta seemed to get a grip on himself and separated from him. Goku jumped up. “Uh, I’ll clean up!” He began gathering dishes. Vegeta took his wine glass and sat on the couch. 

Goku did his best to clean up and not think about what just happened. He walked about to Vegeta when he was done. “Well I’m gonna turn in.” Vegeta said nothing. Goku sighed inwardly and went to his room.

The next morning Goku began packing his things. It was obvious to him he had over stepped his bounds and was sure he had overstayed his welcome. His check had finally come and just needed to create a bank account. He could stay in a hotel until he found a place to live.

Once packed he left to find the closest bank and would be back for his stuff later. 

Goku was anxious to see Vegeta was home when he got back. He wasn’t sure how to act or what to say. 

“Kakarot why are your things all packed?”

Goku tried to read Vegeta’s face but he just seemed curious.

“I thought after last night you would want me out of here.”

Vegeta frowned.

“I didn’t mean to upset you Kakarot, it was the wine.”

“Oh.” Goku said. He knew his facial expression and tone had given away his disappointment. Vegeta cocked his head, looking up at him.

“What is it, Kakarot?”

“Well, I uh...” Goku scratched his cheek. Vegeta waited.

“I think I like you Vegeta.” Goku blurted out blushing profusely.

Vegeta seemed taken aback.

Goku shifted nervously on his feet.

Vegeta smirked. 

“Why don’t you stay awhile longer then, Kakarot?”

————————————————  
5 Years Later

Goku and Vegeta stood in front of all of their friends and family. They had asked Judge Yemma to perform the ceremony and so far he was doing a wonderful job. Both men were trying to remain stoic but the weight of the situation was getting to them.

When it was time Vegeta turned to face Goku. Everyone in the crowd melted away.  
“Kakarot. You barreled into my life and turned it upside down immediately. You redecorated my house with out my consent, and you have absolutely no organizational skills.” He flashed a smile. “ But I wouldn’t change a thing about you. You are a splash of color in my dull life, you push me to better, and you always keep me in my toes. I want to spend the rest of my life dealing with all your quirks.”

Vegeta blushed as he finished and heard everyone awe at his words. Goku looked like he had tears in his eyes.

“Vegeta,” Goku took a shaky breath. “Vegeta, I feel like the way we met was fate. I’ve been mesmerized by you since the moment I saw you. You were kind to me in a time when no one else was. You believed in me when no one else did. I’m eternally grateful to you. But more than that, you complete me and I couldn’t imagine my life without you. Thank you for putting up with me.” Goku grinned at the last part and the crowd chuckled.

Vegeta did his best not to let any tears drop but Goku had tears slowly falling down his face. 

Judge Yemma cleared his throat. “Now with the power invested in me by North City, I now pronounce you married. You may now kiss.”

Goku pulled Vegeta up into a searing kiss. There were a few cat calls from the audience but they hardly noticed. They pulled apart and stared adoringly at the other. They both found themselves eternally grateful that Goku had been wrongly convicted and that they had found there way to each other.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time participating and I have a lot of different ideas for this whole week!


End file.
